G12 The Geography of Food and Health

Notes

IB Assessment Statements

1. 1. Health:

• Variations in health: describe the variations in health as reflected by changes in LE at the national and global scales since 1950.
• Explain the patterns and trends in terms of differences in income and lifestyle.
• Measuring health: Evaluate LE, IMP and child mortality, HALE, calorie intake, access to safe drinking water and access to health services as indicators of health.
• Prevention relative to treatment: discuss the geographic factors that determine the relative emphasis placed by policy-makers, in ONE country / region, on prevention vs. cure.

1. 2. Food:

• Global availability of food: identify global patterns of calorie intake as one measure of food availability.
• Distinguish between malnutrition, temporary hunger, chronic hunger and famine.
• Discuss the concept of food security.
• Areas of food sufficiency and deficiency: explain how changes in agricultural systems, scientific and technological innovations, the expansion of the area under agriculture and the growth of agribusiness have increased the availability of food in some areas, starting with the Green Revolution and continuing since.
• Examine the environmental, demographic, political, social and economic factors that have caused areas of food deficiency and food insecurity.
• Case study: examine the variety of causes responsible for a recent famine.
• Production and markets: examine the impacts at a variety of scales of trade barriers, agricultural subsidies, bilateral and multilateral agreements, and TNCs on the production and availability of food.
• Addressing imbalances: evaluate the relative importance of food aid, free trade and fair trade in alleviating food shortages.
• Sustainable agriculture: examine the concept of sustainable agriculture in terms of energy efficiency ratios and sustainable yields.
• Examine the concept of food miles ass an indicator of environmental impact.

1. 3. Disease

• Global patterns of disease: explain the global distribution of a) diseases of poverty b) diseases of affluence.
• The spread of disease: explain how the geographical concepts of diffusion by relocation and by expansion apply to the spread of diseases.
• Examine the application of the concept of barriers in attempts to limit the spread of diseases.
• Describe the factors that have enabled reduction in the incidence of a disease.
• Geographic factors and impacts: examine the geographic factors responsible for the incidence and spread of TWO diseases.
• Evaluate the geographic impact of these two diseases at the local, national and international scales.
• Evaluate the management strategies that have been applied in any one country or region for one of these diseases.

Resources

Agriculture

Assignments